USCMA Mission Conference makes Vatican News!

Miami (Agenzia Fides) - "The USCMA Annual Mission Conference is probably the only national Conference that brings together missionaries (religious men and women, lay people, diocesan directors and clergy) together in the same room, to dialogue about mission, deepen their mission perspectives and to promote collaboration and networking":This is what Fr. Michael Montoya, MJ, USCMA Executive Director states, in a note sent to Fides on the recent Conference held in Miami, from October 28 to 30, to celebrate USCMAs 30th Anniversary (see Fides 02/09/2011) .

To celebrate its anniversary, USCMA treated the participants with a narrative of the colourful beginnings of USCMA and then highlighting all Mission Conferencesorganized by USCMA for the past 30 years, reminding participants of the themes and the Mission Awardees for each year. "What rich history USCMA! And what privilege to be part of such a dynamic group", underlined Mrs. Teresita Gonzalez de la Maza, current President of the USCMAs, who said: "The conference was wonderful! It allowed for the embodiment of all gathered to recall their baptism, their mission identity. The missioners who gathered came with joy and open hearts!"There were three keynotes that called for each participant to recall the life of a missioner. Fr. Steven Bevans, SVD, world renowned mission scholar and noted professor of missiology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago reflected on the theme "Blessings and Challenges of Communion and Missionary Discipleship"; Sister Madge Karecki, SSJ-TOSF, a theologian and currently working as the Executive Director of the Office of Mission Education and Animation of the Archdiocese of Chicago who presented an exegesis of Luke 5, 1-11 from the missionary perspective of "let down the nets for a catch ..."; the United States Ambassador to the Holy See Miguel H. Diaz, known for his work as a theologian and his commitment to the formation of future ministers in the Church, shared his insights on the theme "Missionary Activity, Diplomacy, and Common Good."

Conference participants took part in the Eucharistic celebration in the local Haitian church, dedicated to Notre Dame d’Haiti, presided by the Archbishop of Miami, His Exc. Mgr.Thomas Wenski, who in his homily warned the missionaries "Do not go to the missions with the 'messiah complex': there is only one Messiah, and he is not you." (SL) (Agenzia Fides 07/11/2011)